


Fruity Surprise

by the_faultlines



Series: Tales of the Fire Royals (and Druk) [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Pregnancy, bun in the oven, fruit tarts are delicious, i needed some soft maiko content, mai is that hardworking mom, maiko, maiko soup for the soul, nothing but fluff, zuko being a good husband, zuko is a very bad liar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26362195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_faultlines/pseuds/the_faultlines
Summary: Expecting a child is rough, especially when you have to help run an entire nation. Zuko sees the toll it takes in his beloved wife and decides to bake up something special in her honor.
Relationships: Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Tales of the Fire Royals (and Druk) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924552
Comments: 12
Kudos: 158





	Fruity Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I was hungry for some maiko content, so I decided to whip up a little short that's nothing but fluff, fruit tarts, and Zuko being the big softy he is. So here's a little maiko soup for the soul to add a little brightness to the day. I hope y'all enjoy!

All was quiet in the Fire Nation’s capital. It was the early hours of the morning, the moon still hanging brightly over Caldera as most of the city’s inhabitants were deep in their slumber. Only the farmers and fire nation troops were waking, getting prepared for their respective fields and posts. 

But deep within the palace, another person was awake, sneaking around the halls as quietly as possible to avoid any confrontation. 

The Firelord snuck his way into the palace kitchen, going immediately to the collection of ingredients he had secretly planted before he went to bed the night before. Carefully, he lit a few lanterns, strategically placing them to give the most light to work with. When all was set, he pulled out a scroll from his robe, unraveling it onto the counter and placing two lanterns to hold it in place.

_Aunt Mura’s Sweet Fruit Tart Recipe._

He whispered the instructions allowed, measuring out the ingredients to its exact portion before mixing them in the bowl. At one point, he realized he had put in too many cups of flour and decided to scrap the whole thing and start from the beginning.

There was no room for any errors; He had to make this perfect for Mai. It was the least he could do for her.

She was well into her sixth month of pregnancy, and it wasn’t the easiest journey, to begin with. Morning sickness plagued her in the beginning; yet despite her constant feeling of nausea, she continued with her political duties like it was any other day. The sickness subsided as she went into the second trimester, but that brought new hardships of their own. She was constantly in a state of exhaustion, every joint aching under the growing weight in her stomach. 

Mai never lost her cool exterior, despite her immense discomfort, and would go the whole day without anyone taking notice of her ailments. Zuko could read her effortlessly, however. He noticed her drooping eyes as they sat for hours in a council briefing and her uncomfortable shifts after she stood for too long during speeches. He urged her to take leave until the baby came, but she was too stubborn to give in. 

So Zuko did what he could to comfort her, whether it was massaging her aching muscles at the end of the day or brewing up some tea for when she felt sick late at night. 

This night, however, he wanted to do something special. She was having an especially hard week- with royal tasks piled high on her plate and nagging officiants constantly nipping at her heels. Politics had no mercy for mothers-to-be. 

Zuko knew Mai loved her fruit tarts but she had a special place reserved for her aunt’s old recipe. So, under the guise of attending a council meeting, he had snuck over to Aunt Mura’s flower shop, and together they planned a sweet little surprise for the Firelady. She had supplied the recipe and Mai’s favorite roses to use as a garnish. All that was left was for Zuko to execute the plan. 

* * *

After he managed to get the crust pressed neatly into the pan and in the oven, he moved on to whip up the cream and slice the various fruits that would be added to the dish. He was still on schedule despite numerous setbacks and redos, and would no doubt have the fruit tart fresh and ready to eat by the time Mai would wake. 

He waited an hour or so for the crust and cream to chill before adding the finishing touches. Carefully, he placed the fruits onto the cream in an intricate swirled pattern, before strategically adding the petals. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he placed the final rose petal on top. _Success._

“Zuko?” an all too familiar voice broke the morning silence. The Firelord tensed, not daring to look behind him. Of course, she would find him in the middle of his secret project. 

“What are you doing here?” the Firelady questioned, rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes.

“Mai,” he sputtered, fumbling to hide his gift before turning to face her. “I was just- uh...looking for a late-night snack.”

“A late-night snack, huh?” she cocked a brow, thoroughly unconvinced. Mai drifted over to her husband, splaying her hands on his chest.

“Y-Yes,” he shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting to the side to make sure his surprise was securely hidden behind his back.

Mai saw right past his petty lie and craned her neck to look over his shoulder, even lifting herself on her toes out of curiosity.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” he quickly changed the subject, shifting his shoulder so that her view was obstructed. He gently pressed her down from her tiptoes, a nervous smile gracing his lips. Mai hummed suspiciously, eyeing him with her sharp glare. 

“You need all the rest you can get these days,” he added softly, placing a careful hand on her stomach. 

Her suspicious demeanor faltered, replaced by a wistful smile. “Well, it’s hard to get rest when someone is kicking you from the inside,” she spoke, placing her hand atop his. 

“They’re a feisty one, I see.” He chuckled, lifting her other hand to his lips. He proceeded to plant small kisses on the back of her hand and wrist. 

“I can’t say I didn’t expect it,” she sighed, soaking in Zuko’s peppered affections. “After all, half their family are a bunch of high strung lunatic firebenders.”

Zuko rolled his eyes at the subtle jab, even though it was quite true. 

“You seem to forget that their other half of the family are smart, level headed, mature, and quite frankly, very beautiful,” he added blissfully, trying to kiss up to her ego.

“Yes, my father was quite the beautiful man; And Tom Tom is _so_ mature,” she drawled. 

“You know what I mean,” he chuckled, moving to plant a small kiss on her hairline before resting his forehead against her’s.

It seemed that his haphazard attempts to distract her were working successfully. Normally, small signs of affections would never work on Mai but thank Agni for the pregnancy hormones that could easily cloud her judgment.

“C’mon, let’s get you back to bed,” he spoke lovingly, turning to wrap an arm around her as he began leading her to the door. At first, she followed, enamored by his soft charms. But the gooey haze was quick to fade as she realized the trick he was trying to pull. 

“Oh no, don’t think your flirts are going to distract me, Zuko,” Mai stopped, standing her ground. 

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can’t you let me make one nice surprise for you?”

“So you’re making a surprise for me,” she spoke, brows raised.

“Well,” he stuttered, his shoulders falling as he realized he had outed himself. “Yes,” the Firelord admitted in defeat.

An endearing smile grew across her lips, as she pinched Zuko’s ear playfully. “That’s so cute!”

He grumbled, looking like a little boy whose antics had been interrupted by his mother. “Well, not anymore,” he muttered. “The surprise is ruined.”

Her eyes softened at his downcast expression. “You know how I am with surprises, dear,” she consoled, placing a loving hand on his cheek. “It’s hard to pull a fast one with me.”

She leaned on her toes to kiss his other cheek. “Plus there are flour stains all over your clothes,” she pointed out.

Zuko groaned, futilely trying to dust off the powder that covered one of his favorite night robes. “I just wanted to do something special for you. I know this week was a rough one, and I just wanted to treat you with a little gift,” he explained. 

“Well, what is this gift?” she asked curiously.

His dour demeanor faded, a soft smile returning to his lips. “Cover your eyes,” he instructed. 

Mai gave him the pleasure of doing so, feeling a tinge of guilt for ruining the surprise that he was so invested in. She felt his calloused hands cover her own to ensure that she wasn’t peaking, before steadily guiding her over to the counter.

“Surprise!” he said weakly as he took his hands away. 

There in the dim light was a large and colorful fruit tart, plated neatly on a porcelain dish. An intricate swirl of mixed fruits decorated the whipped cream center, and petals from her favorite roses were placed neatly on top with extras scattered around the plate for added decoration.

“Zuko,” she said breathlessly, eyes wide as she braced a hand on her chest.

“I used your aunt’s recipe,” he explained. “I know it’s your favorite.” 

She tried to find words, but all that managed to come out were subtle noises of surprise. 

“Do you like it?” he asked hesitantly, scanning her features for any sort of assurance.

The Firelady began blinking profusely, the corners of her eyes glistening from the wetness that had begun to accumulate.

“Mai...are you crying?” 

“What?” she sniffed with surprise, quickly shying away from his gaze. “No, I just got something in my eye.”

“You are crying,” Zuko responded bluntly, going in to swoop her up in his arms. 

“Why would I be crying over a fruit tart?” she replied, standing stiffly in his embrace. “It’s just a fruit tart.”

Damn the pregnancy hormones and their dastardly ways of manipulating her emotions. 

“You love it, don’t you,” he smiled, cheeks flushed with joy as he peppered her hair with light kisses.

Mai let herself relax in his arms, Zuko’s endearing enthusiasm filling her with warmth. “I don’t hate it,” she replied into his shoulder, taking in his scent- a mix of fruits and freshly baked pastry. A smile graced her lips, as she pressed herself closer against him to hide the small tears that fell.

He was right- it was a hard week for her. If it wasn’t the petty day-to-day politics, it was the fussy baby that kept her up at night, tossing and turning in her stomach. Zuko had tried to get her to take a break from the work, but she knew that stepping down now would only add more issues to resolve when she returned. She was set on working right until the day the baby was born, and that was final.

But this was an unexpected relief that she hadn’t realized she needed.

Well,” she sniffed once more, pushing herself away from her husband’s embrace. “Are we just going to let it sit here all morning until someone decides to steal it?”

Zuko smirked, kissing her forehead once more before going to collect the fruit tart and necessary utensils.

* * *

The royal couple snuck back to their room just as slivers of the sun began to appear above the horizon. They locked the doors behind them to not be disturbed, and Zuko went to open the curtains, revealing an expansive view of the city below. Mai climbed back in bed, propping herself up against the headrest while Zuko positioned himself beside her, holding the dish between them. Together, they watched the sun slowly rise over the Fire Nation while digging into the decadent dessert, Zuko casually feeding Mai spoonfuls while taking in a few good bites himself.

So maybe the morning wasn’t what Zuko had originally planned, but in the end, Mai was happy and content, enjoying his little gift while they shared in each other's company that had become few and far between. 

"You're going to have to make fruit tarts more often," Mai admitted, licking some cream from her finger. "I have a feeling I won't be the only one in the family that has a sweet spot for them."

Zuko smiled, excitement brewing at the thought of little grubby hands digging into his homemade delights. 

Proudly, he dug his fork into the plate, taking another hefty serving of the tart.

"It would be my honor," he happily obliged, savoring the sweet taste of success. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always open to interactions and find fellow maiko fans! You can find me on tumblr: @the-faultlines and twitter: @the_faultliner


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